Acta Medica Skandinavica. Vol. CXXII, fasc. I, 1945.

REVUE DES LIVRES:

0. A . Rogomolelz: The influence of the antireticular cytotoxic seruni (BJIMRHME AHTH- (XCS) upon the healing of bone fractures.

PETMKYJIRPHOft UMTMTOKCMWCKOft ChlBOPOTKM (BAUcq) HA

SAXUBJIEHME nEpEJlOMOB). 193 p. Academy Of sciences Of the USSR 1944.

B. is director of the Institute of clinical physiology a t the Aea- dcniy of sciences of the Ukrainian S. S. R. His point of departure is the observation that the formation of normal bone callus in a shor- ter or longer time depends on the intensity of the individual osteo- blastic reaction. Insufficient attention has been paid to this fact in searching for new methods for the treatment of bone fracture. The enormous number of slow-consolidating fractures has empha- sized the significance of the individual reactivity and has -made i t necessary. to find a method available to the practitioner of restoring and stimulating the regenerating osteoblastic reaction. For this purpose he has prepared an antireticular cytotoxic serum (ACS) and studied its influence on the rate of formation of bone callus, on its quality and on the intensity of bone tissue production. His in- vestigatious comprised experiments on ratbits and clinical work on a large war material.

The results of his investigations were tha t the ACS leads to a specific action of the osteoblastic cellular elements of the physiolo- gical system of the connective tissue. Small doses (0.07 cm3 of undiluted serum) stimulate the production of osteoblasts and acee- leratc their transformation into osteocytes. I t is possible by means of the ACS to secure a complete consolidation where all other met!iods of fracture treatment have failed to give a satisfactory result. At a conference in Ufa in 1942 a .great number of Russian hospitals reported several thousands of slow-consolidating firearm fractures where excellent results had been obtained by means of ACS.

I . Holmgren. -